There’s a penumbra on the moon this morning at 5:00 when I go out to start my car and warm it up a bit before my commute to work. Although it doesn’t feel that cold, the dome light takes a full 2 seconds to come to full brightness. Not a good sign. There is a slight delay in the engine turning over and when it finally starts, the dash thermometer says it 13 degrees below zero. I am grateful that the wind isn’t blowing.
In 124 days, I am very much hoping that minus temperatures will be a distant memory. Those intrepid souls who walk the Camino in winter have my undying admiration. I have hiked the woods of Maine and New Hampshire in the winter, always a delight for all the senses, there is always the knowledge there is a finite length to each trip with a warm house and good food at the end. I suspect the same is not true for winter Camino adventures. I am very sure I would not be walking “The Way” in cold weather.
It is difficult to continue to train for this up coming hike in the winter. The sidewalks have disappeared, snow banks make it difficult for drivers to see walkers and for walkers to see the vehicles, surfaces are covered with ice and sand and ruts and bumps of solid, frozen once upon a time water. So I walk inside at work when the time allows. Rural Maine doesn’t support large malls where there is ample space to walk during off hours, so many short walks up and down hallways, up stairwells and sometimes, weather permitting, around the parking lot a couple of time during my lunch break. I’m not really worried about the actual walk. It isn’t a race and there will be plenty of time to complete it at my own pace.
I am planning to pace myself, as I would if it were winter where one is forced to slow down, so I have time to take in the scenery, meet new people and thoroughly enjoy the act of getting from point A to point B. This challenge is me against myself. Let’s see who makes it there first.
Buen Camino
“Holy” Sneakers 500
"Holy" Sneakers 500 